At noon one day, a handsome guy and the little girl he had taken under his wing were having lunch. Little did he know that something truly terrifying was about to befall him...
"Brother Xiaoyan, do you think my cooking has gotten better?" Xiaolan asked.
"It's an improvement, but it's a bit too sour." Then Xiaoyan's expression contorted in a most comical way as he vomited up all the lunch and breakfast he had just eaten, making a mess on the floor.
The Pokémon nearby were eating the Pokémon feed they had bought, so they managed to escape this ordeal. Eevee jumped into Xiaoyan's arms worriedly and looked at him.
"Xiaolan, where did you get the ingredients for this dish?" Xiaoyan wiped his mouth with a tissue, his face looking a bit pale.
"I bought them from a farm. The farmer said there's a river on his farm, a very clear one with a bunch of Magikarp in it. The soil at the bottom of the river is mixed with the fertilizer that comes from the Magikarp's... well, you know. He said it was very precious fertilizer, and he used it all over his farm. I thought I'd give it a try, and then you got a stomachache." Xiaolan stuck out her tongue sheepishly.
"Stay here. I'll go look for some herbs nearby." Then Xiaoyan set off with Eevee and Pikachu on his shoulder in search of herbs.
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"Do you guys know what herbs look like?" Xiaoyan asked. Both Pokémon shook their heads.
(At this moment, I remembered the phone I had brought from my original world. I could ask the great Google for help, but I wasn't sure if it still had any battery left.) Xiaoyan took out a black phone from his backpack. As expected, when he pressed the power button, there was no response.
"We'll just have to try eating all the plants that look like herbs here."
As they walked along, a large farm and a small pharmacy appeared in front of them.
"A farm in this deep mountain probably has its own supply of herbs. That pharmacy over there looks really old. The stuff inside might not be edible anymore, so we'll just skip it and go straight to the farm."
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There was no other living creature on the grassland of the farm except for Xiaoyan and his companions. The river inside was extremely murky, with a few dead Magikarp floating on the surface. There was a stench in the air, and the atmosphere was rather eerie.
"This mountain only has one farm. Xiaolan said at lunch that she bought the ingredients from a farm nearby, a farm with a clear river and some swimming Magikarp. Why is it so different from what she described..."
"Sir, the environment here is quite nice. Look at that grassland over there." Suddenly, an old man with a white beard appeared behind Xiaoyan.
"Strange. The grassland, which had no living creatures just now, now has a lot of Miltank in it. The previously murky river has suddenly become clear, and the dead Magikarp are swimming around freely." The more Xiaoyan thought about it, the more suspicious he felt.
"Sorry, grandpa. I'd better go to the pharmacy next door to buy some medicine." Xiaoyan carefully distanced himself from the suddenly-appeared old man.
"I also own that pharmacy. How about I show you the way?" Xiaoyan saw that the old man had no feet and was floating in mid-air. He got scared and, with Eevee and Pikachu in tow, ran desperately towards the exit.
After running out of the door, Xiaoyan's vision went black. When he came to his senses, he found himself back at the original farm.
"I'm the owner of this farm, so I'm the boss here. No one can leave without my permission."
"Then what do you want us to do before you'll let us go back?" Xiaoyan asked.
"Play hide-and-seek with me." The old man stroked his long beard on his chin, looking confident and smiling.
"Sure. What are the rules?" Xiaoyan readily agreed.
"It's noon now. If you can find me before the sun sets, I'll let you go. If not, you'll have to stay here with me for the rest of your lives!"
The white-bearded old man waved his hand gently and disappeared from the spot.
"Pikachu, Eevee, let's quickly find the old man and then go back."
"Pika!" "Ibui~~~"
But it was extremely difficult to find an old man in such a large farm!
"Darn it! Where on earth is that old man hiding?" Big drops of sweat rolled down Xiaoyan's forehead. Seeing that the sun was about to set, he was very anxious.
Pikachu and Eevee were so tired that they collapsed on the ground. Xiaoyan gently placed them on his shoulders and continued walking forward.
At this moment, Xiaoyan noticed a small wooden house in the middle of a large expanse of green grassland.
"Let's go in and take a look."
Xiaoyan pushed open the brown wooden door. The light from outside shone in, and the creatures living inside were afraid of this sudden light and scurried to find hiding places.
The floor was covered with a thick layer of dust. It had been a long time since anyone had cleaned it.
The place was filled with all kinds of clutter. Xiaoyan covered his nose and carefully moved his feet.
"What's this?" Xiaoyan picked up an old mirror lying in the corner. But what was reflected in the mirror wasn't his own face, but another image.
Under a maple tree, a man was drawing a portrait of a woman. The man in the mirror was none other than the owner of the farm, the old man Xiaoyan was looking for!
"Could it be?!" Xiaoyan put the mirror back in its place and then rushed out of the door, sprinting towards the small hill.
...
"You're quite good, young man!" The white-haired old man was sitting under the maple tree, looking at the out-of-breath young man.
"This must be a very important place for you, right?" Xiaoyan looked at the tall and sturdy maple tree in front of him. Due to its great age, there were many marks of vicissitude on the trunk.
The old man remained silent. He turned his head and looked at the maple tree, tears glistening in his eyes.
The autumn wind blew gently, and a few golden leaves fluttered down. Xiaoyan quietly accompanied him, not wanting to interrupt the old man's memories. Pikachu and Eevee were running and playing in the pile of maple leaves.
The golden sunset, combined with the red-and-yellow maple leaves, made everything look so warm and harmonious. If only time could stop at this moment and the world could always be so harmonious.
"You've won this game. As promised, I'll let you go." The old man used some kind of power to send Xiaoyan and the two Pokémon to the entrance of the farm.
Xiaoyan turned around. The old man's body was gradually turning into light and dispersing into the sky. At that moment, a sweet smile appeared on the old man's wrinkled face.
"Young man, I believe you'll become a great Pokémon trainer."
Soon, night quietly fell. Eevee was lying quietly on a rock, taking a moonlight bath. The night wind gently stroked its fur.
"Alright. It's a bit dangerous to go back to the camp at night. We'll sleep here tonight."
By this time, Pikachu was already fast asleep.
Xiaoyan lay in his sleeping bag, recalling what had happened today.
"I think the old man has reunited with the one he loves somewhere by now."
"Ibui~"
At this moment, Eevee's body was enveloped in white light. Inside the white light, Eevee's body kept changing.
After the white light dissipated, a black Umbreon was standing there. Umbreon fired a Shadow Ball at the nearby rock, and the rock was instantly blown into pieces.
"Eevee, no... Umbreon. I look forward to working with you from now on!"
To be continued...